Bayonetta will arrive in October alongside its Wii U-exclusive sequel — Bayonetta 2. Included as a free extra in North America and available in select bundles or separately on the eShop in Europe, it'll give Nintendo gamers all of the context and lore they need before jumping into the new release.
Naturally, the Digital Foundry team at Eurogamer has had a look at the Wii U port of the original in comparison to the Xbox 360 iteration; the PS3 version barely features as it is a notoriously bad version of the game. In general the Wii U version, as should be the case, performs well; there are subtle differences in visuals and use of the hardware that, overall, seem to favour the Nintendo system's iteration.
In general, the visuals between 360 and Wii U are very close, but we did run across one minor difference. Light bloom is used extensively on Xbox 360 and this appears to have been slightly pared back on Wii U. You can observe the difference in the sky just outside the train station where the effect is much stronger on 360. In addition, white levels are clipped on Xbox 360 at points leading to an over-exposed look in certain cases. In some sequences this does give the impression of punchier, higher contrast visuals on Xbox 360 but it's ultimately not something that stands out throughout a run of play.
On the flip-side, shadow quality sees a nice boost on Wii U. The hard-edged, chunky shadows present in the original versions look much cleaner on Wii U. While the resolution isn't noticeably increased, the shadows now appear much softer and less harsh. Water reflections are also subtly different on Wii U with reflections appearing much stronger than the 360's showing.
With multi-platform titles, the Wii U has often struggled with lengthy load times but, thankfully, this isn't a problem with Bayonetta. In fact, the Wii U version of the game loads faster than the other two versions, even with the originals installed to the hard drive. Most loading sequences take between seven to eight seconds on Wii U while 360 requires a few extra seconds and PS3 lags behind that. Of course, we were only provided download codes so we could only test the game running from a USB stick. It may be interesting to see how the game fares running from a disc.
In conclusion, the assessment is that Bayonetta on Wii U is possibly the best-performing console release from Platinum Games yet, and joins a small list of high quality ports that have utilised the hardware well.
Taking the spread of games released by Platinum into account, it could be argued that the Wii U version of the original Bayonetta is the fastest-performing console game released by the studio to date, and in that sense it's a bit disappointing that the sequel fails to match the performance level set by its predecessor. While the massive increase in set-piece complexity in Bayonetta 2 is certainly exciting, it definitely comes at a cost. In that sense it almost feels like the original Bayonetta is the more finely tuned experience.
Alongside the likes of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Bayonetta stands out as one of the best ports available on the Wii U. It's clear that a lot of time and effort was poured into this release in order to preserve and in places improve upon the original experience. While it's not dramatically superior to the original Xbox 360 version, we'd have to give it the nod as the definitive version of the game. The elimination of screen-tear, faster loading, and solid performance levels make a huge difference. Whether you've played the original release or not, this is a great way to experience Bayonetta. The fact that it comes packed in with most versions of Bayonetta 2 makes it one heck of a bonus.
If you want all of the nitty gritty detail check out the full article, while you can also read the recommendation in our Bayonetta review.
[source eurogamer.net]
Comments 76
I'm not really surprised that the Wii U version is better. Come on Nintendo let us pre-order the Bayundle already on the eShop and release Bayo1 earlier. Also eShop maintenance on Monday!
About time somebody took the WiiU seriously with a port! PlatinumGames knows how it's done!
@ThomasBW84 Sorry Tom, just to clarify, is it the cost of both Bayo1+2 in North America equivalent to one 'standard AAA' release there? But more than one in Europe? Have you guys listed the prices for both regions anywhere? Apologies if so, must've missed it.
And yet it scored an 8....
@Emblem "8 - Very Good: If we award a game an eight, you can be sure if you like the genre this is a sound buy for you."
This about the digital 4 lyfe version though. (Also from a usb stick which is not even supposed to be a supported configuration).
In this day and age there should be no load times at all.
I'm surprised they managed to improve the loading times from a 360 game. Nintendo should buy them for that reason alone. Even a couple of Nintendo's games have annoying loading times.
I'm now interested to see how Bayo 2 actually compares to Bayo 1 when looked at by me rather than by a computer.
Cant wait for this game! So glad Amazon made up for their pre-order mistake by giving the first game free
I really hope this game sells far better here in the West than it has in Japan so far. I can't bare to think of the response from the trolls if it doesn't. And Nintendo needs this game to prove that they can cater to a mature audience.
Great job Platinum Games! It looks like we have another Wii U supporter!
I don't get why people think 8 is a mediocre score. It means the game is very good with minor flaws in the eyes of the reviewer. Many games, movies, books will fall into this category (very good, but not stellar) and still provide solid, enjoyable and great experiences. Nines and tens are for masterpieces/near masterpieces.
@fchinaski We are seeing a new generation of gamers who will only accept 9s and 10s. Just look at comment sections on other sites. Anything below and they will only buy when mega cheap.
@FragRed Yeah, I've been noticing this as well. In my experience, when a game is generally received with scores that go from 7 to 9, it usually means that you will enjoy it if you like the genre and maybe even personally score it higher. Anyway.
80% is an A, and can be a Distinction in university. Nothing wrong with 8/10 or 4 stars.
But then again, when people rate CoD the same or higher, it confuses people, as who wants to buy something worse than CoD?
i dont think there will be any performance difference gameplay wise between usb and optical. i have digital MK8 and its not like i get a different experience from other users. the usb is probably throttled back, and its only version two.
@MadAdam81
you could have above COD or below COD. below COD meaning its worse than i expected possible
SEE, UBISOFT?! You CAN port an Xbox 360 game over to the Wii U and actually have it run BETTER!
@MadAdam81 80% is an A? Are you talking school grades? That's a low B/high C grade at the schools I've been to, and 90% and up is an A. Were my schools strict or were yours easy?
Now I wonder if people look at game scores like school grades: 90-100% is an A, 80-90% is a B, 70-80% is a C and anything below that is a failure. You'd think a 7 is a good score from 1-10, but if people look at it as a C grade then they might think that's a bad score...
Digital Foundry notices a bunch of crap most people don't care about anyway. I guess it's good it "runs better" on Wii U. Regardless, I can still have fun with the game even if the sequel isn't "selling well" in Japan (which it is selling better than most are acting like it is). It needs to be October 24th right now.
Shocked to see Edge mag gave Bayonetta 2 10/10. They're normally super harsh reviewers. So must be good!
I heard the barrels of her guns were Ocean Grey in the Wii U version as opposed to Military Grey in the 360/PS3 ones.
"This new version is slightly better than the one from 5 years ago".
Ahhh, the scent of desperation.
I have to say, Digital Foundry's comparison video makes it seem like the colors are slightly more muted in the Wii U version, particularly with the reds looking more blue-ish. The addition of proper V-sync makes me forgive that, though.
@Dezzy Yeah... you could focus on that, OR you could look at it as we (or rather: developers & publishers) should and take this as an excellent example of the fact that good ports are indeed possible on Wii U instead of all the buggy, handicapped sh** we've been getting from other companies.
Complaining or being sarcastic is always easier than looking for the positives...
Game released on Wii U in 2014 outshines counterpart released in 2009 on Xbox 360. What an accomplishment.
@MadAdam81
A 80% is a low b. Go back to school genius.
@RancidVomit86 @Dezzy
I know right. Lol!
@Emblem Why is 8 a bad score anyway. Kid Icarus got a 9 and only the ones who like the controls can fully love the game.
Why can't the rating system change like instead of a score, why not something like a word that concludes whether its worth it or not?
Honestly i dont care about this "which version is better" nonsense…i play games to have fun. This and Bayonetta 2 are my most anticipated games of the year and its a day 1 buy for me! #OPERATIONPLATINUM
So glad to know the Wii U version is now the definite version of the original Bayonetta. Even just by the fact that they eliminated screen tearing it should be a total win. Screen tearing is the worst, I hate it more than framedrops to be honest. Hurry the hell up, oct 24th! Me wants to play dis.
Yet Bayonetta sold only a few thousands of copies in Japan.
After having an absolute blast playing the most recent Devil May Cry, I'm really itching for another hardcore action title and I think this is the one to bring the satisfaction of chaining together big combos. Looking forward to getting it in the future!
Good to know I won't be playing an inferior version of the game on my U. Also, "Bayo 2" looks too damn good to be worried if it doesn't run quite so smoothly as the first game.
Sonic Lost world received a 7 and people understandably freaked out.
Bayonetta received and 8 and people freaked out. uh what?
Well I only played the PS3 version and I don't recall anything bad after they patched it so I guess the game will look awesome to me
@YoshiTails I refuse to refer to anyone who gave Skyward Sword a 10 as a "harsh reviewer."
Excellent work by an impressive studio... sigh But no Korra for Wii U.
@Artwark
The "word that can replace the number" is the text in the review, nobody who complains about a score reads it... or at least no one reasonable will complain about arbitrary numbers or indications at the end of a review when the reviewer tells us how it is and it turns out to be worth a buy/miss.
I guess a "Worth a buy", "Worth a rent", "Worth missing out on" may be more direct, but those don't drive up traffic, get them onto Metacritic/Gamerankings (which as awful as they are - still are important for sites getting exposure) and change much at all if readers are ignorant.
@WanderingPB
38K is a "a few thousands of copies" in the first week (well two days, but week)? Sure...
@KillScottKill
I get that feeling as well when anyone says that Famitsu are harsh, their highest scored games at 39 or 40/40 include some real paragons of design, but also an anime licensed fighting games with microtransactions and poor balance and Final Fantasy XIII.
Just goes to show that scores alone aren't helpful and even more crazy... well it is to be expected but different writers have different tastes or personal feelings on scores (on top of the different sites having different feelings). I recall seeing a GameSpot or IGN livechat where the staff were disagreeing at large with a fellow writer responsible for a review.
So the Wii U port beats the version released on hardware from almost 10 years ago.......................sad you even have to compare the two.
Well I highly doubt bayo2 will have perfect screen rates as bayo 1 for wii u but that's cause of the more extravagant pieces and stuff in bayo 2.
If I've never played Bayonetta before should I play Bayo 1 or Bayo 2 first? These are not usually my kind of games & I'm afraid if I play Bayo 1 first that I'll get jaded by the time I get to Bayo 2. But I wonder if I'll have a better experience for 2 story-wise if I've played 1 previously. Anyone have any thoughts?
Of course the Wii U version will look better... until the inevitable XBone port arrives 5 years later...
Of course I'm joking. XDDD
Bots on Nintendolife?! Oh lordy
Glad to hear because I wanted to play it again. As @rjejr I played the PS3 version after the patch and it does not fare that bad, but I haven't played the 360 version to compare them.
@snoox
Sounds weird that you are willing to buy a game if it is not your kind and are already talking about getting jaded. Isn't there a way for you to try the first game (via a friend, rental, etc) to see if you will like it? In any case, if you get Bayo 2 start with the first one, as you don't even have to hunt it down.
@snoox
Bayo 1 first. I haven't played either one and next to no one here has played or seen much of Bayo 2 (Japanese importers of Wii U or playthrough watchers), but playing in order will let you recognise all of the improvements or changes that Bayo 2 makes and any nods to the prior game.
If you want to try out a game with technical action and fantastic design, this should be your cup of tea. It is challenging, has a high skill ceiling and makes you work for unlocks even if it gives you plenty to do, but it is a great pick.
If you have a Wii U, you should look into The Wonderful 101 as well. It has the same director as Bayo 1 (Kamiya is still supervising Bayo 2) and a lot of shared design choices with Bayonetta as well as Devil May Cry (same director), Okami (same director) and Viewtiful Joe (same director)
@thelastgogeta Hmmm im not sure if that response was meant for me since i never made mention of any numbers but incase that ignorance was directed at me allow me to retort…
Bayo 1 in its 1st week (to which it was available for 4 DAYS) sold in Japan 135K on the PS3 which had an install base of a little over 4 million and TOTAL lifetime sales of 210K.
Bayo 1 in its 1st week ( to which it was ALSO available for 4 days) sold in Japan 64K on X360 which had an install base of around 1 million and with TOTAL lifetime sales of 90K.
Now Bayo2 in its first week ( to which it was available for 1 DAY…yup just 1 day) sold in Japan 38K on the WiiU which has an install base of 1.9 million or that it sold about 68% of its initial shipment.
Hmmm do u also realize that Platinum games usually sell better on the West than in their own Japan? Why dont we wait judging Bayo2 until the end of this year or better yet when its LIFETIME sales are out? Did u realize that Bayo2 in JAPAN out sold Infamous 2nd son 36K? But that shouldnt matter b/c it sells well in the West right?
I shall say what ive always said play video games to have fun period. Dont fall for these console war shenanigans. Sure we all have our preferences but when u worry about sales numbers and reviews instead of the actual games enjoyment my friend ur not really a gamer. If i misunderstood ur response i apologize in advance and shall go finish playing Hyrule Warriors.
@rjejr my friend also said that after the patch the PS3 version of Bayo1 was better just the loading times sucked but still a game not to be missed
@sinalefa sometimes my friend i question even responding to some comments but knowledge is power and you seem to know this game very well so educate us who are uninitiated LOL im not ashamed to ask for help if i need it
@WanderingPB Yeah, you are correct I intended it for @kereke12 instead since he literally said "Yet Bayonetta sold only a few thousands of copies in Japan."
I generally agree to an extent since I care a lot more about good games existing and good games being available than console warfare, but the sales of Bayonetta 2 aren't going to pick up much on the "second week/first full week" since most sales tend to be on the first day/week (look at your life time sales total and compare them to the first week) anyway and it will be overshadowed by over a dozen games next week which release for the first time when it had last week to itself (New games wise).
I can see a case that Bayonetta 2 did outsell a lot of games (outsold The Wonderful 101 7 times over), but even if they were funded by Nintendo and it will sell more in the west, all of the prior games were C or D for sales: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-04-17-platinum-games-president-rates-its-sales-as-a-c-or-even-a-d
Also, shipments are a good sign of reasonably estimating demand, not whether a game made the money back. Stores will only accept as many copies as they expect to sell.
Anyway, I messed up and replied to you by mistake. You can have your fun with Hyrule Warriors, I'll spend my time with Senran Kagura 2.
@Crimzonlogic Depends on the country, school, and region.
The grading system fluctuates considerably even within the same country. Look at any two universities (even within the same school it can be different) and you can see that GPA can be calculated quite differently. This is especially noticeable for schools that don't have "+" and "-" especially in the example you provided.
Take Harvard as an example. Their science department does not have an A+ grade (they stop at A) but have "-" and "+" for pretty much any other grade level. Or taken from the same university, their business school doesn't use letters at all or set "grade" percentage ranges. Instead, they base their scores on the percentage of students that should be achieving each level of excellence they have set out.
Yaaaay the WiiU version is better than an almost 10 year old console
Jokes aside, im sooo hyped by this game, cant wait ! Very good WiiU games coming
@thelastgogeta no worries my friend i wasnt exactly sure hence the manner of my response. I agree Bayo2 wont sell incredibly well in Japan but i also dont understand how sum people especially so called "fans" of the series are celebrating its "failure" when the 1st title didnt fair well in Japan to begin with…besides this game is going to be great to play and its unfortunate that peoples personal bias and ignorance will hold them back from enjoying this incredible game jus like W101. Enjoy Senran kagura 2 i shall enjoy Cia in Hyrule Warriors high five very nice (Borat voice)
@sinalefa yes it is weird but I am getting Boyonetta 2 purely for the hype I mean there's so much I can't notttttt get it
@thelastgogeta o thnx a lot for the info, I actually hated Wonderful 101 demo hehee too stressful, even Pikmin was too stressful for me lol
@Crimzonlogic Your schools weren't stricter, and his weren't easier. As someone else said, it depends on the grading format of the school. By the grading system you've listed, it seems you don't have A*. Can't speak for the other guy, but my school did. So it would be:
90+% A*
80-89% A
70-79% B
And so on.
So while an A grade in your schools is higher then A grades in mine (and maybe his) schools, we would be aware of this. Because we would know we hadn't achieved top grades with A grade as top for us is A*. While you would know you got the highest grade because A grade is given for top marks.
Anyway, enough about school grades hahaha!! The point he's trying to make is there is nothing wrong with 80%. It's a very respectable score and if you saw a game with that score, you'd definitely want to know more about it (if you already didn't).
For me personally anyway, if a game is under 60%, it puts me off. 60-70 is we'll see. 80+ is a must have as long as the game actually appealed to me in the first place. Don't just buy every game that's 80% of course, hahaha!!
@RancidVomit86
Not realoy fair as this is a port and not even a directors cut. So it does what it is supsed to do in that its a port of a 5yr old game that looks and runs slightly better than its previous best version.
If U want to see how much better the WiiU can perform over x360 than look at Bayo2 which looks stunning, runs 720@60fps and has effects you couldn't touch on a x360. Lets remember this is a freebie so a slightly better port is all we could ask for.
@AdanVC
yeah screen tearing drives me nuts
@QuickSilver88 It seems my point was over your head.
@Artwark @Interneto An 8 is a good score i'm not disputing that at all. I don't much care for scores to be honest i glean the information i need from the actual content of reviews. Since NL often have long reviews they are a good source of said information which is why i read them. That said Bayonetta is one of the best action games ever, if you are going to give it an arbitrary score it deserves a higher score than 8 imo.
My issue is actually with the review itself and (some) reviews in general, they lack consistency and often have mis-information and conjecture (The Hyrule Warriors review is a good example of this). For example Mega Man also received an 8 but didn't lose marks because of its age, this review was published about the same time. Most times I just ignore it but once in a while I make a comment.
@snoox
Well the full game of The Wonderful 101 gives you a good but quick introduction in the mechanics of the game as well as offering two easier difficulties from the get go, though I recommend in advance that you buy the block and dodge moves.
You can learn and unlock everything little by little in both Bayonetta and The Wonderful 101 (even learning in failure or after tons of playthroughs) since they share a lot in common. Just because the camera here looks more traditional, it doesn't mean it won't be just as merciless.
That said, jump on Bayonetta 1 + 2 and give TW101 a look for cheap while being patient and you'll be surprised how well it clicks.
the game comes free with Bayo 2 so of course it's better on the Wii U xD
Well this is defiantly great to hear because i was one of the few people who played it on the ps3 and the load times where crazy.
I pre-ordered Bayo 2 First Print Edition with the nice book cover.
I finished Bayonetta 1 on PS3, but i did full install to HD as it was very slow from disc.
@unrandomsam
"in this day and age there should be no load times at all"
This is a very unrealistic expectation seeing as game developers will continue to push the hardware they have to it's max. Actually how on earth is a video game supposed to do anything if it doesn't load anything first?
Porting games to wii u is not merely possible, but as this game demonstrates, can even look better! Improved specs won't be the only advantage visible by nerding out on specs. Improvements to ports to wii u are also available made possible by the gamepad.
I didn't notice too much of a difference in the WiiU/X360 version, besides some screen tear on the latter. But the PS3 version... How did they release that??
I don't mean to sound like a troll here because this all sounds really great, but saying "alongside the likes of Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Bayonetta stands out as one of the best ports available on the Wii U" is not a compliment. I have never had a game freeze on me the way Need for Speed did. It easily crashed on me 15 times in 30 hours of gameplay. It once froze on me 4 times in 5 minutes. My frustration with Most Wanted U, coupled with the fact that I just really wanted to play an HD Need for Speed game, is what made me go out and buy a PS3, which at the time was my first ever non-Nintendo console.
I think it's great that the Wii U is getting such a great exclusive like Bayonetta, but nothing ticks me off more than anybody praising Need for Speed: Most Wanted U. That game simply did not work.
@AJWolfTill Its a choice. The possibility exists. (Use an SSD). Modern Arcade games don't have them. (There are some with lesser specs than the PS4/Xbone that look as good). It affects the enjoyment of the game for me. (More than whether every single texture that I don't even notice is different.)
Woaa!so wiiU version is better than the one on a 2006 console.... what an accomplishment...
@FragRed 9 or 10's or CoD games.
I'm very much considering getting Bayonetta 2. Especially since it comes with bayonetta 1.
@Diddy_kong I would take the whole article with a huge pinch of salt. I played both Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 all the way through and Bayonetta one is much slower and suffers far more from dips in frame rate than bayonetta 2.
The test they did to prove bayonetta on Xbox was smoother than bayonetta 2 was based on just a very complex intro sequence. In game is a different story. Agree about most wanted u.. It is a piece of sh9t.
I don't care what the haters say. I'm buying Bayonetta 2 (including the enhanced original) day one.
@URAmk2 It varies, depending on what school you're at..... .-.
@URAmk2 I must have been more tired than usual, oops. 85% is a A- in many schools in Australia, 80% a B+. 90% is an A, 95% an A+ and 100% an A++ - don't know if it has changed in SA since I finished school 15 years ago.
Still, it's a good mark and no-one would refuse to see a movie that only got 4 stars because it didn't get 4 and a half.
@Diddy_kong Ouch, I never had any problems with it, I had no idea any such problems existed.
In that case, ignoring any bugs from Most Wanted U, Bayonetta is the next best Wii U port, or possibly it's equal in the extra stuff added in (I would have to compare a list of extra work done for the port) and could be it's superior if there are no bugs at all.
@AJWolfTill Unless everything is on a SSD drive and you have as much RAM as the size of all the programs you are running.
And considering SSD's have such a low space and very low amount of times data can be rewritten on it, you would be spending a huge amount of money on it.
Obviously Wii U version is best in overal, it is new generation console. It could be bad if the game be worst with better hardware.
@larry_koopa Are you sure your Need for Speed: Most Wanted U disc isn't scratched/dirty? I've had my copy since day one and I haven't once experienced any freezing. I think you might have a disc problem (of course I am one of the few gamers who actually puts their discs in the proper cases when changing). Just a suggestion.
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